Customs Officials Make Largest Ever Heroin Seizure Worth Over $1 Mil

The Texas field office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced the largest heroin seizure the division ever made on Tuesday. The drugs had a street value of over one million dollars.

“This is a huge seizure by any means, but for the port of Presidio it is historical,” said John Deputy, CBP Presidio port director. “I was informed today by the Assistant U.S. Attorney that the 33 pounds of heroin is a Pecos Division record seizure for the Western District of Texas. The seized heroin has an estimated street value of $1,056,000.”

Officers pulled over a Mexican citizen driving a 2005 Renault Megane, and a search discovered a secret compartment welded into the vehicle’s undercarriage.

In that secret compartment the service found 33 pounds of black-tar heroin.

The driver, 23-year-old David Ubaldo Castanon of Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico, is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI agents.

Big busts have been coming fast over the past few years. In May of this year authorities in Hartford, Connecticut seized $11 million worth of heroin and other drugs.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.